WHY SAMBAR ARE REVERED WORLD WIDE AS A GAME ANIMAL

Sambar are elusive and nocturnal, moving in the low light of dusk and throughout the night but by the time the sun is up they have retreated to their beds at the head of some remote gully or half to three-quarters of the way up a steep face from where they keep careful vigil over their domain.

Whilst bedded a Stag relies heavily of large bat-like ears which swivel constantly in an endless search for danger.

This explosion is accompanied by an eruption of snapping sticks and branches which lasts for just a few seconds before giving way to total silence. Then, as if by magic, this large animal simply vanishes.

Bob Wilson with his magnificent Sambar 
stag taken in the first hour of the first day
of his Shikar.

The difficulty in hunting sambar has resulted in them being revered wherever they have been hunted throughout the world.   

There exists such a virtual litany of passages in books by British colonial author/hunters revering the sambar that I found it difficult to choose between them.

Brander, who worked as a Forest Officer in India for over twenty years, was regarded as one of the greatest living authorities in all that pertains to jungle and shikar lore in central India.

In his classic Wild Animals in Central India he wrote: 

'The sambar has developed faculties and instincts to a degree not attained by any other deer in the plains of India.  Like most animals which live in thick jungle, the eyesight of the sambar is only moderate, but to compensate for this they possess most excellent powers of hearing and smell.  

Both these powers are constantly used for purposes of self-protection, and as sambar form one of the chief foods of the tiger and the wild dog, as well as having been constantly hunted by man from time immemorial, they are largely dependent on the high development of these senses for their very existence. 

In addition, they possess to an eminent degree the instincts of self preservation and can instantly act in a variety of different ways in order to avoid danger or to deal with an awkward situation.'

After spotting the stag in its bed, by glassing from the opposite face, referee Bob Wilson takes a very difficult 300m cross gully shot with a 30/06. Result: one shot instant kill.

Hence, it is hardly surprising that sambar are often compared favourably with Africa's most desirable and most difficult-to-obtain prizes such as Derby eland, bongo and mountain nyala.   Perfect blending of colour and habitat further increases the difficulty in hunting sambar, for unlike the distinctive white markings of eland, bongo and nyala which can readily betray them, the sambar have none.   Nor does the sambar roar or make any other sound that can assist the hunter.

Like bongo, Derby eland and mountain nyala, sambar may also be the sole objective of a specialised safari with a specialist guide expert in their ways.   This is the primary purpose of   Sambar Shikars.   The leasing of hunting rights on remote grazing properties which are surrounded by endless tracts of forested mountains is one factor which contributes to my high success rate.   These forests contain above average numbers of trophy stags and because access to these areas is restricted, hunting pressure is much lower than in most public forest. Furthermore, these hunting leases are managed according to current Quality Deer Management principles whereby the farmers and I manage the deer for trophy potential.   Quality Deer Management significantly increases your chance of success and the overall enjoyment of your hunt, for not only are you more likely to see trophy stags, but a number of immature stags as well. 

Because access to my hunting areas is restricted the deer have not been 'educated' nor 'spooked' by other hunters just prior to your arrival.  Furthermore, the farmers inform me of stag sightings and movements of deer around their properties.   These factors complemented by my expertise and use of several very effective hunting strategies tailored to suit the scenario, ensure that your chance of taking a trophy stag is maximised.  Shikars for free-range sambar (and fallow) are conducted from rustic cabins located on private property in the great forested mountains (known locally as 'The High Country'). Cabins are equipped with hot and cold reticulated water, hot showers, flush toilet, bunks, refrigeration, cooking facilities and an open fire. 

ANTLER QUALITY  

Whilst symmetry, massive beams and ornate pearling are qualities highly valued by contemporary man, a hunter would consider himself extremely privileged to harvest any representative set of antlers from sambar in Victoria.   For many hunters the size of the antler is secondary to the quality of the hunt and some are careful not to demean the death of the stag by measuring the quality of their trophy and their Shikar by antler size alone. 

Perhaps for no other game animal is the mere tape measurement so poor an indication of the true value of the trophy.   

Nevertheless, Victorian sambar grow fine antlers with the Australian Deer Association Trophy Registrar having recorded well over one hundred stags with antlers 30" or longer.  To be eligible for entry in this register antlers must score 200 Douglas points or better.

Some fine examples of free-ranging Sambar and Hog Deer Stags taken in Victoria's Lakes and Wilderness Region

The record antlers for a stag harvested in Victoria measured 34 x 341/4 x 39 inch spread and scored 233 Douglas points.   The stag was 10.5 years old.   The antler quality of Victorian sambar is much higher than that of those in the Cobourg Peninsular of the Northern Territory where antler quality is very poor.

SUCCESS RATE 

SUCCESS RATE FOR UNGUIDED HUNTERS
Annual surveys conducted by the Game Management Unit of the Department of Natural Resources in Victoria for more than 10 years show, year after year, that the average success rate for sambar is about 0.6 of a deer per hunter per year for every fifteen (15) full days hunting. This includes hinds, spikers and stags of all ages. This extrapolates to one full sambar per hunter for every 25 days of hunting. And it's very likely that the success rate for unguided hunters is even less than this because the survey is likely to be biased because successful hunters are far more likely to respond to a survey than unsuccessful hunters who do not wish to be reminded of their many unsuccessful hunts.

	Veteran Victorian sambar hunters will tell you how easy most other species are to hunt when compared to sambar. In fact it is not unusual to meet hunters still after their first stag despite hunting this specie consistently for more than 20 years. Prior to hunting with me, many of my clients hadn't seen a stag despite hunting regularly for ten years and more. So it is not surprising that an increasing number of hunters are realising THE WISDOM OF HIRING A GUIDE WHO IS A SAMBAR SPECIALIST AND EXPERT IN THEIR WAYS.
Your Shikari Errol Mason with a magnificent free range Sambar stag taken at last light.
SUCCESS RATE FOR HUNTERS GUIDED BY SAMBAR SHIKARS No guide can guarantee you will legally and ethically harvest a free-ranging trophy sambar stag. However, because I have studied sambar intensely for more than ten years I possess a penetrating insight into their biology, ecology and general behaviour. This insight has enabled me to develop highly effective hunting strategies resulting in Sambar Shikars having an unusually high success rate for this species.
	Chris Kinsella with a dream Sambar stag taken at dawn on the first day of his Shikar with one shot from his .375 H&H.

BEST TIME

Although there is no season the best time for Sambar is from mid-April to December when the weather is cooler and the majority of stags are in hard antler. 

HUNTING METHODS

Hunting from hides at dawn and dusk is an effective strategy which can also be productive throughout the day.   Glassing from one face to another to locate deer and then either taking a long cross-gully-shot, or then commencing a stalk can also be effective.    

Walking-up sambar by following fresh tracks and other signs is another tactic used and which is brilliantly encapsulated in the following passage from the book 'Sport in Many Lands' written by British colonial hunter/author Harry Leveson.   "There is scarcely a sport I know that affords a true sportsmen more pleasure than sambur stalking, when the hunter, accompanied by a couple of scouts who know their haunts, and his dog, gets on trail soon after daybreak, whilst the herbage still glistens with dew-drops, and when every footprint made the previous night is clear and sharp, and follows up his game by the slots, until he steals upon his quarry in his day retreat, and kills him fairly in his domain.

FIREARMS AND BOWS - MINIMUM LEGAL REQUIREMENTS

A centrefire rifle, muzzle-loading rifle or bow may be used.    

• Centrefire rifle - minimum legal calibre is .270 (6.85mm); minimum legal cartridge length 2" (51mm); minimum legal projectile weight 130 grains (8.45 grams).

• Muzzle-loading rifle - minimum legal calibre .45" (11.45 mm); projectile must be the type known as a "Minie"; minimum legal projectile weight 230 grains (14.91 grams).

The minimum specifications for rifles, muzzle-loaders and bows for hunting sambar will suffice for hunting hog, rusa, and fallow, although lighter, more rapidly expanding projectiles will perform better on fallow and hog deer because they are considerably smaller.

CLICK HERE for information on bow hunting in Victoria